A reasonable overnight stay

We arrived late, about 21:30, as my (Brian) luggage did not arrive with me and Wilderness Safaris spent some time with me sorting out the paperwork, however the staff at the guest house very kindly provided some sandwiches as we hadn't eaten since lunch time.

We had 2 problems at Olive Grove. Firstly we had several insects in the beds, which we had to remove before settling down. Secondly, we had no hot water in the morning. I contacted reception and was told to let the water run for 10 to 15 minutes, which I was unhappy about, knowing how short of water Namibia is. I let it run for a couple of minutes but then rang reception again and spoke to the manager who told me that we shared the hot water tank with the next room. Apparently they had had a shower and bath and taken all the hot water. As the hot water is solar powered and there was no sun she said she would switch on the immersion heater and we would have to wait. We eventually showered at about 07:45 having got up at 06:30. Coupled with the fact that I did not have a change of clothes this was not a good start to our trip.

Lindy Van den Bosch, the owner of Olive Grove Guesthouse, wrote to us regarding these travellers feedback as she was sorry to hear that they had a couple of problems during their stay. Her response was:

Thank you for taking the time to pass this feedback on to us.

We would like to apologise to these guests for the lack of hot water in the morning. We are in the process of converting our geysers from electrical to solar, in an effort to be more environmentally friendly, and this incident has shown us that we need to monitor this process a lot more closely and carefully. We generally have 1 geyser for 2 rooms, and past experience has shown this to be adequate. We are alarmed to hear that the advice given by our Reception was to "let the water run for 10 to 15 minutes". We can only assume that there was some misunderstanding or miscommunication on our part - we have discussed this with all our Reception staff again, to ensure that such incorrect information is not passed on again.

As regards the insects in the beds, we usually leave the bedrooms windows open for arriving guests, but as these guests arrived late at night, the insects may have been attracted into the room by the lights - once again, we apologise for this inconvenience.

We are pleased that we were able to assist with a later check-out, and hope that this went a small way to relieving the inconveniences caused, including the added frustration of luggage not arriving.

We strive to be a good first impression of Namibia, and to be an oasis for weary travelers arriving off a long flight, or back from a long drive around the country. We are truly sorry that this was not these guests’ experience and sincerely hope that this did not distract from the rest of their Namibian holiday.

Mr & Mrs C - Woking

Arrived on: 30-Sep-2010 Stayed for: 1 nights

Overall:

Excellent

Location:

Good

Rooms:

Excellent

Service:

Excellent

Food:

Excellent

Facilities:

Good

First night in Namibia

A very promising start to our holiday, ideal after a long journey and very easy to find.

The staff were helpful and made us feel welcome, the room was comfortable and the food excellent. We loved the bath/shower (in room 8) that felt like a very upmarket cave!

We left after one night feeling refreshed and ready for the adventure to come.

Olive Grove review

This was our first stop in Namibia. The accomodation was very comfortable, staff very professional and friendly and dinner was excellent - Great place to start the holiday after a long journey from Ireland.

We didn't take part in any activities at Olive Grove so that is why I have ticked 'no comment below'.

Olive Grove review

Great place to start or end your visit to Namibia.

Found the jacuzzi most relaxing after a long flight - especially with the complimentary glass of champagne! Unfortunately no time to sample the spa. Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. Free internet access was also a bonus.

Ideal last stop

Unfair to comment as this was our last night and after Okonjima nothing would compare!

However this is a nice place to end the holiday, convenient for the airport and they serve dinner if you don't want to go into Windhoek. Excellent breakfast choice with selection of home made breads etc however dinner was slightly disappointing.

Olive Grove was a relaxing place and the staff were very helpful and friendly - they helped to confirm our flights etc.

We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.